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Ashley Borden: Hot Body at Home

Finding the time to exercise can seem difficult between long work hours and family obligations, but as fitness expert Ashley Borden explains, even the busiest women can squeeze in a few minutes per day for a calorie-busting sweat session.

“It comes down to time management; everyone has at least 30 minutes a day to train,” says Borden, a Los Angeles-based personal trainer with clients such as Mandy Moore and Ryan Gosling. Try waking up before your kids or turning off the television and popping in a workout DVD instead. And remember to mix up your workout routines.

When you do the same workouts day after day, you are always exercising the same muscles. “You want to change up movement patterns to challenge different areas of your body,” Borden says.

In addition to in-person training, Borden offers free, taped, home workout sessions on YouTube. Try this exercise routine by Borden featured below.

Ashley Borden’s “Hot Body At Home”

“Push your hips back and sit back as if you are reaching for a chair that is far behind you,” Borden says. “Reach your arms out in front to counter your balance.”

Keep your torso erect as you squat and then come back to your starting position. Do this 20 times.

Exercise 2: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and bend over with a flat back. “Your arms should be in line with your waist,” Borden says. Pull your elbows back and squeeze your shoulder blades together, then bring them back to your starting position. Do this 15 times.

Exercise 3: Stand tall with feet hip-width apart and your hands clasped behind your head. Engage your core and step back with one leg. Drop your opposite knee down to a 90-degree position. Then press through the front heel and return to your starting spot. Do this 20 times.

Exercise 4: Start on your hands and knees with your head in line with your spine. Lower down to the ground (“While keeping your whole body tight,” Borden says) and release your hands briefly. Then put your hands back in the same place on the ground and push your shoulders away from your ears (back to the top of the pushup position) while engaging your core and buttocks. Do this five times on your knees or in a full plank.

Repeat the entire circuit for 20 minutes straight. “Keep track of your time so you can beat it next time,” says Borden.